Machine for applying legends to razor blades



June 28, 1938. l. s. BODKIN 2,121,947

MACHINE FOR APPLYING LEGENDS TO RAZOR BLADES Filed May 12, 1934 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTYOR frv/hy .5'. Ba /kl)? ATTORNEY l. S. BODKIN' June 28, 1938.

MACHINE FOR APPLYING LEGENDS T0 RAZOR BLADES Filed May 12, 1954 8 Shets-Sheet 2 x K x INVENTOR Irv 4y 5.502%! ATTORNEY l. S. BODKIN June 28, 1938.

MACHINE FOR APPLYING LEGENDS TO RAZOR BLADES Filed May 12, 1934 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR r wny 5. Bodkin 2 ZM I 1 TTORNEY June 28, 1938. B DKW 2,121,947

MACHINE FOR APPLYING LEGENDS- TO RAZOR BLADES Filed May 12, 1934 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 x. liHii Q 0 BY M- W ATTORNEY I. s. BODKIN June 28, 1938;

MACHINE FOR APPLYING LEGENDS I'O RAZOR BLADES Filed May l2, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 5 M 14 4, INVENTOR rwiry 5. Bod/ *1}? ATTORNEY w ,4 BI I \i v June 28, 1938. I. s. BODKINY 7 2,121,947

MACHINE FOR APPLYING LEGENDS TO RAZOR BLADES Fiied May 12, 1954 8 Sheets-Sheet e INYENTIOR 12* why 5. Bod/0 Julie 28, 1938. v I. s. BODKIN 1 2 4 MACHINE FOR APPLYING LEGENDS TO RAZOR 'BLADES Fild Ma 1 2, 1934 s Shets-Sheet 7 XNVENTOR [r why 5. Bad??? ATTQ RN EY June 28, 1938. v l. s. BODKIN 2,121,947

' MACHINE FOR APPLYING LEGENDS' TO RAZ OR 'BLADES Filed May 12, 1934 8 sheets sheet a I INVENTOR A a AX ATTORN EY why 5.3061/0) l I Patented June 28, 1938' UNITED STATES OFFICE 7 2,121,547 MACHINE FoR APPLYING LEGENDS RAZOR BnAnEs I Irving s. Bodkin, Na. York, N. Y.,.assignol to Conrad Razor Blade.Co., Inc., Long Island City N. Y., a corporation of New York I "Application May12, 1934, Serial-"No. 725,290 24 Claims. (01. 1014220); I An object; ofthe present invention is to pro- The present invention relates to the'manufacture' of blades for safety razors and more par- 'ticularly to a mechanism for etching'or printe ing a suitable trade-mark or other legend thereon;

For convenience "in manufacture, bladesfor I safety razors are made from a strip of steel havdivid'ual blades.

ing substantially the same width as the finished razor blade. I I

ries of machines where it is formed with blade The strip is passed through a seapertures, hardened, ground at the edgesjand finally out into finished individual blades which arereadyto be inspected, wrapped in packages This is usually done by applying an etching acid to'theblade which, when" washed off, leaves a permanent mark or legend on the-blade." 'Preierably, this operation is performed after the blade apertures have been formed in the metal strip but before the strip has been cut into in- This is the most convenient time for performing the etching or printing operation, since the handling of individual blades is eliminated; however, there are certain inherent difficulties. In annealing the strip and in other operations after the strip has -been laidout into blades by punching apertures or the like, the strip of metal may be stretchedslightly, which -makes it diflicult to obtain proper registry offthe etching mechanism with the annealed blades forming -the continuous strip. The -difierence in the length of a single blade may be small and not noticeable but the cumulative difference in a strip is substantial and should be compensated for-in theprinting operations; It is, therefore,

diificult to have the printing mechanism register in all cases with .theindividualblades, and particularly to keep the legend centralized on each blade, regardless of variations in length. 'It is necessary to make a clear imprint of the-legend "at least on one side of the blade andgenerall'y on both, which should not be smeared during-or after the printing'until the acid has been neutralized or washed off. The edge of the strip ,should be protected from the acid andffrom contact with extraneous objects.

must be thin and uniform to obtain good results without wasting the acid. The present invention' aims to provide an inexpensive mechanism which will accomplish these and other results satisfactorily and at a high speed without interrupting the movement, of the strip.

sioned by previous operationson the strip.

means for intermittently supplying a thin nism shown in Figl: 1

vid'e aprinting mechanism for razor blades Which will accurately-register with'each blade regardless of stretching or -oth'erirregularities occa- Another object of the invention is to produce the blades without stop ing the strip during" its Ia"'practical mechanism for printing or etching passage through the printingmechanism, that is,

permitting a con tinuous movement as distinguished from an intermittent movement.

' Another object of the invention is to provide means for accurately registering the individual stopping'the-movement" of the strip. 1

blades with the "printing inechanismwithout Another object of the invention is c to v simplify the-mechanis'mfor printing or etching safety razor blades. v Another object of the invention is to increase the speed-of 'etchi-ngor printing r'azorblades and thereby' reduce the cost thereof.

"Anotherobject' ofthe' invention is to reduce to a minimum 'the numberof partsof the machine exposed to the acid; l

I Another object of the invention is-to protect the edge of thestrip from acid and the like. I

l Another object of the invention is' to avoid smearing the acid after application "thereof and prior to its removal.*" 1 *Another object of-the invention is to provide film of acid to the transfer rollers.

- Another object-*oi'the invention is to'provide meansfor' retaining the levelof the acidin the constant to obtain a uni- I reservoirs substantially formly thin film.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide wean holding device adapted to permit rapid mounting and removal of a coil of. strip 1 metal. Other and further objects 1 oi the invention will -be obviousupon' an: understanding of the illus-v trated embodiment about to be described, or will drawings, wherein I Fig. l-is-atopplan view .of a preferred emforming part: of the specification,

bodimentof the invention; v

Fig-.2 is a side elevational view of the mechabe indicated'in theap'pended claims; and various been" chosen for purposes of illustration and derscription and is,shown in the accompanying Fig. 4 is a detailed fragmentary view illustrat- I ing the cam mechanism for collapsing and expanding the drum;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3, illustrating details of the drum construction; 3

Fig. 6 is a sectional view along the line 6-6 of Fig. 7, illustrating the take-up mechanism at I the delivery end of the machine;

Fig. '7 is a sectional view along the line 'l-l of Fig. 6, illustrating features of the take-up mechanism at the delivery end of the machine;

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of the printing mechanism;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the printing mechanism taken along the line 99 of Fig; 8-;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view of a transfer roller,

taken along the line Illof Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the feed and synchronizing mechanism associated with the printing mechanism, taken along the line Il--II of Fig. 12; i

Fig. 12 is a sectional view, along the line I2l2 of Fig. 11; 1

Fig. .13 is a detailed sectional view, taken along theline l3!3 of Fig. 12, illustrating the construction of the guideway, the position of the strip of metal therein, and the means affording access to the guideway;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view along the lines I l-l4 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 15 is an exploded perspective View illustrating the details-of the adjustment mechanism for synchronizing the feed device;

Fig. 16 is an end elevational View of one of the printing rollers; V

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the metal strip to which the printing pads are secured;

Fig. 18 is a detailed sectional view, along the line I8l8 of Fig. 14, illustrating the attachmen of the metal strip to the printing roller;

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of one of the printing pads with an illustrative legend thereon;

Fig. 20 is a sectional view, taken along the line 28--20 of Fig. 21, illustrating the driving connections for the printing mechanism;

Fig. 21 is a fragmentary sectional'view, taken on the line 2 l-2I of Fig.8, illustrating the driving connections for the printing and transfer rollers;

Fig. 22 is a fragmentary perspective View illustrating the mechanism for intermittently applying acid to the transfer rollers;

Fig. 23 is a detailed sectional view, taken along line 23-23 of Fig. 25, illustrating the intermittent mechanism efiective upon the acid applying roller;

Fig. 24 is a fragmentary perspective view of the cam for operating the acid applying roller intermittently;

Fig. 25 is a detailed illustration of the means for driving the cam shown in Fig. 24; I

Fig. 26 is a sectional view on the line 26-26 of Fig. 8, illustrating the acid applying roller and the acid reservoir;

Fig. 2'? is a vertical sectional view of the acid reservoir illustrating the level adjusting. member in its lower position; and T Fig. 28 is a sectional view illustrating the construction of the pulley under which the sheet metal strip passes in the neutralizing bath.

Described generally, and referring more'particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the preferred embodiable material and in various ways. illustrated, it comprises a top it and a series members 2 I.

removed and a coil placed in operative position on the drum quickly. ,tomaryto have a string or wire wrapped about I purpose. fective through the intermediation of the spring '3 lon the hub I9 to provide sufficient tension in ment of the invention comprises a framework I for supporting the various mechanisms, a drum 2 for receiving a coil of strip material 1 to be etched, a feed mechanism 3 for delivering the strip material at a constant rate to the synchronizing mechanism 4 of the printing mechanism 5. The strip of material is preferably sheet steel from which safety razor blades can be made and preferably hasapertures formed therein, or other recesses dividing the strip into a series of connected blades adapted to be cut or stamped into individual blades in a later operation. The

synchronizing mechanism regulates the delivery of the strip to the printing mechanism 5 so that the printing mechanism registers properly with each of the blades of the strip. The printing mechanism applies a suitable acid which etches J the legend on the strip While the strip is passing from the printing mechanism to the neutralizing bath 6, Where the acid is washed from the strip.

.The strip on leaving the neutralizing bath,

passes a blower 8 and a heater 9 for removing theneutralizing solution andthen passes into an :oil bath l0,;where a film of oil is applied for preventing rust, and past a blower II. The strip -then passes through the take-up rollers l2 onto the-drum M. A suitable driving motor I5 is operatively connected to these several devices to drive all of them in timed relation to each other.

1 These several mechanisms and their operations will now be described in detail. The table I, which is adapted to support the various mechanisms as illustrated more particularly in Figs. 1 and 2, may be made of any suit- As herein of legs ll suitably braced. On one end of the ;table, the drum 21s mounted to receive a coil of strip material which is to be fed to the printing mechanism, and the drum M is mounted on the'other end of the table adapted to receive .and wind into a coil the strip of material after .it has been printed or etched.

I Forconvenience, these drums are constructed alike and are shown more particularly in Figs.

.3 to 5. A shaft l8 mounted on. a bracket I3 extends through a hubl9, integral with the disc 'member 20. A plurality of arcuate members 2| ,wardly to be expanded into engagement with the-inner periphery of the coil. A second disc 28 is removably mounted on the hub I9 by means of the collar 29, held in position by a 'screw,,so that the coil of material is supported between the two discs 20 and 28 on the arcuate In this way, the disc 28 may be 30 in Fig. 3, and a slot 3i is provided for this Preferably, a suitable brake 32 is efthe strip of material being removed from' the drum to prevent slack between the drum and feed mechanism. The drum on the take-up end tially the same at all times. 1

Referringmore particularly to Figs. 6 and 7, 'there 'is shown a shaft 39 having a -roller 40 thereon directlybelow a roller 4|-"on shaft fl.

arenas? create the propertension in the wrappedcoil. Preferably; the beltdriveis such that the belt WiIl*sI-ip -Wh'en the tension exceeds a predeterrnined amount. I The feedmecha'nism 3 and the take-up. mechani'sm-l zfiare likewise substantially similar and are'shownmore particularly in Figs. 6 and 7. The purpose of these mechanisms isto-m'aintain the"mov'ement of the strip" substantially 'constant asit is being unwound from one drum and asiit'is being Wound-upon the otherjdrum, so that the amountof' slack in the stripintermediate the several mechanisms will be substan- A pair'of gears 44 and 45 are mounted on the shafts 39 and 42 to drive the rollers-40 and 4| at the same speed." The shaft 42'is mounted in a; yoke 46. held in position'by a threaded adjusting member 41. Suitable slots48 inthe frame permit slight vertical movementso that any-desired pressure may be applied tothe strip of material passing between the rollers. {The verticalmovement of the rollers and of the gear 45*is soslight'that it doesfnot affect the drive. The shaft 39- is operatively connected through a suitable sprocket 50 and" clutch 5| operated bya'h'andle 52;to the common drive for the several mechanisms,as will be described hereinafter. The movement of the'clutch handle 52 engages the keyed slidable member of the clutch with the jaws of the rotating clutch element. I

- -A' suitable groove 54 is provided in th'e'rotating clutch element 55 adapted to receive the belt 36"for driving the take-up drum-44; This groove and belt-are'omitted in the feed mechanism 3 on the front'of'themachine; otherwise boththe feed and the take-up mechanisms are .the same'and the abovedescri'ption Will -serve for both. The clutches 5| are utilized Ior increasing or decreasing the amount of slack between the respective mechanisms, as desired.

After the stripof material-1 leaves the-"feed rolle'rs'3. it is allowed to drop'down and form a'loop or slack portion, as shown -in Fig. 2; and

thenpasses'into a guideway 56;- Thei'guideway 56fpasses adjacent the synchronizing mechanism 4 and between the printing rollers of-the printing mechanism 5, as "shown more particularly in Figs. -2 and 11. After passing-the printing rollers, the strip isagain allowed't'o form considerable slack and is passed over a guide 51 into the neutralizing bath. As stated hereinbeforej the strip; of material has already been divided into bladep'ortions in'a' previous operation. In order for these bladeportions to register accurately with the printing rollers so that the trade-mark or legend will be centralized with respect to each individual blade forming the continuous strip, it is desirableto have a syn- "chronizing mechanism' for -maintaining the particularly in Figs. 2, 8, 11, 12 and. 14 and'may comprise a pulley or sprocket 59? mounted ona shaft-.50; and a second pulley 6| mounted on'the 'st'ub -shaft'62. Asuitable belt 64 extends over the-pulleys 59 and 6| and has projections 65 adapted to register with the apertures sag m. the strip-of material being operatedupon. The belt 6'4 alsohas apertures 63 therein adapted to register with the projections 61 on the pulleys or sprockets 59 and 6|. The lower pulley 59 is preferablymount'ed adjacent the guideway 56- and su mciently close thereto so that the; projections on the belt 64, passing therethrough, engage the aperture 66 in the strip of material and propel it along the-guideway. The .upper' pulley (it; while mounted adjacent the guideway, issuiliciently removed' th'erefrom so that the projections on the belt as it passes over the pulley do not extendinto the guideway. An idling pulley 68 is mounted intermediate the two pulleys 59 and 6| and is adapted to control the portion of the belt which engages the strip of material. Thepulley-68 may be adjustably mounted in any suitable manner, for example, it may be mounted'on anarm '69 providedwith a slot for a bolt 69a, adapted 'to hold the 'arm 'in various positions. Preferably, the idling pulley 68 is adjusted so that two of the projections 65 engage aperturesin the strip of" material. This causes the strip to register with the belt and, at the sametime, reduces to 'a minimurn the length of the strip which is in engagement with the projections on the belt. If.

d'esired;.the pulley 68 maybe adjusted-so that a larger or smaller number of projections may engagethe belt, but the minimum number giving effective results is desired because the" distance "site endof the plate has an adjustmentscrew 1 2 in engagem'ent therewith for controlling the amount ofslack or tension in the belt'64. After the proper adjustment has been made in the belt,

abolt 13" fittingin a-slot in the plate TOis tightened to'hold the plate and pulleys-in: their adjusted position. v

' 'The feeding mechanism 4 should be accurately synchronizedwith the printing rollers 94 and '95 and there is provided for'this purpose means for adjusting the angular position of the roller 59 about its driveshaft (ill. This adjusting means is shown more particularly in Figs. 8;. 11 and 15.

The end of'the shaft 60' (Fig. 15) is formed with a slot 'lfi adapted to receive' an' arm .11, which maybe heldfin position by a boltflfl to fix the I pulley/59 in position on the. end' of'theshaft'.

Thespulley 59 has a substantially U-shaped meme -ber 19 thereon adapted to extend about the arm 11'. The free ends of the U-shaped member have adjustment screws (Fig. 1 1) thereinadapted to .engagezthe sides of the projecting arm 11. By adjusting theiscrews 80, the angular position of the: u;-shaped.member"|9 and likewise the attached pulley 59 may be adjusted with respect to the shaft 60 *sothat the pulley '59 and belt 64 thereon may be synchronized with the pads on the-*pfintingrollers. By utilizing the, set screws 80, minute changes in the adjustment may be 'madesothatthe respective blades of thestrip register accuratelywiththe pads on the print,-

ing rollers. Failure byas much'asa small 'fraca tion of'an inch to have the legend on the blade properly centralized is noticeable because, ordinarily, the margin between the end of the printing and the end of the blade is relatively small. The driving gear 8| on' shaft 60 for the synchronizing mechanism is driven directly from the drive gear for the printing roller through the intermediation'of the intermeshing gear82. The strip moves continuously past the synchronizing mechanism to the printing mechanism and is delivered to the printing mechanism at the proper speed to avoid slack or tension therein.

Preferably, the guideway 56 adjacent thesynchronizing mechanism is provided with a removable cover 84, as shown more particularly in Figs.

11, 12 and 13, which is hinged by a pin 83 sothat it may be opened and closed to permit access to the portion of the strip adjacent the synchronizing mechanism. The cover 84 has a slot 85 at its free end and is adapted to be secured in position by a latch member 89 hinged by a pin 81 and adapted to engage in a slot 85 of the cover when the latch is in closed position.

Preferably, the cross-sectional dimensions of the slot are as shown more particularly in Fig. 13, a channel I5 being provided above and below the strip of material to permit substantial flexing thereof, and to allow the projection 65 on the belt 64 to pass through the apertures in the strip. The space provided by the channels I5 is particularly important after the strip passes the printing rollers, since it prevents any smearing of the acid applied by the printing rollers.

The construction of the printing mechanism can be best understood by reference to Figs. 2 and 8. Various details of the mechanism, as well as the drive therefor, illustrated in other figures, Will be referred to after the description of the mechanism in these two figures.

The various parts of the printing mechanism are mounted on a vertical partition or frame l40 (Figs. 8 and 9), the driving gears being on one side of the partition and the acid applying mechanism on the other side. The partition serves as a mounting frame for the various shafts and protects the driving mechanism from the acid. In this'manner, a minimum number of parts are exposed to the acid.

As shown more particularly in Fig. 8, a pair of downwardly depending plate members 88 and 89 are pivoted on the frame by means of the shafts 90 and in extending through their upper ends. A pair of shafts 92 and 93 extend through the central part of said members 88 and 89 and have the printing rollers 94 and 95 mounted thereon. The strip of material I, to be printed, passes between the two printing rollers in a continuous movement, with the individual blade portions registering with a series of pads on the printing rollers. The details of the construction of the printing rollers will be described hereinafter. Suitable screw adjustments 96 and 91 are providedto engage the opposite sides of the pivoted members 88 and 89 at the lower ends thereof, and a spring 98 is mounted between said pivoted members in suitable slots I03, as shown. The spring 98 tends to force the two printing rollers away from each other at all times. The screw members of the adjustment devices 96 and 91 are adjusted to force the printing rollers about their pivots 90 and SI toward each other to apply as much pressure to the strip being printed as desired.

A suitable mechanism is provided for applying an etching acid to the printing rollers and may be the same for each of the printing rollers. For

convenience, the mechanism for applying acid to the printing roller 95 will be described and the parts of the similar mechanism for applying acid to the printing roller 94 will be correspondingly numbered to avoid duplicating the description.

A plate 99 is pivoted about a shaft I00 and has mounted thereon a shaft IOI carrying a transfer roller I02. Pivotally mounted also on the member 99-is a plate member I04 pivoted by a bolt I05. A second transfer roller I06 is rotatably mounted on this pivoted plate I04 by a bolt I01. A spring I08 tends to raise the right side of the plate 99 about its pivot to move the transfer roller I02 away from the printing roller '95. An adjustment screw I I0 may be adjusted to force the right side of the plate downwardly and to press the transfer roller I 02 against the printing roller 95 to obtain any desired pressure. A spring III tends to pull the plate I04 about its pivot and to move the transfer roller I06 away from the transfer roller I02. An adjustment screw I I2 is adapted to counteract the force of the spring and to press the transfer roller I06 against the transfer roller I02 with any desired pressure. By means of the two adjustments H0 and H2, any desired con tacting pressure may be imposed upon the transfer rollers I02 and I06.

1 A suitable roller II4 mounted on an arm II 5 pivoted at H6 is in contact with the acid solution H1 in the reservoir II 8 and intermittently contacts with the roller I06. As shown more particularly in Figs. 23 and 26, the roller H4 is provided with a helical thread or ridge H9, the ends of which preferably terminate at the edge of the roller I06. The purpose of providing the roller II4 with ridges is to minimize the amount of acid applied to the roller I06 and to minimize also the thickness of the film and to increase the uniformity thereof as the acid is transferred from one roller to another. The mechanism for periodically raising and lowering the roller I I4 to have it contact intermittently with the roller I06 will be described hereinafter.

Any suitable acid reservoir may be provided but, as here illustrated, a metallic reservoir H8, 1 preferably of stainless steel or some other metal which is not subject to corrosion, is mounted on the framework by means of a pair of bolts I which may be readily loosened to remove the reservoir for emptying, cleaning or the like. At

one side of the reservoir, there is preferably provided a cylindrical chamber I2I having a piston I22 therein (Figs. 8 and 27), which may be raised or lowered by meansof the screw I24. The purpose of the piston or cylinder I22 is to raise or lower the level of the acid in the reservoir by displacing part of the acid by the piston. In this way, the level may be maintained constantwithout continually adding acid to the reservoir.

While any desired construction of printing rollers may be utilized the preferred embodiment illustrated herein is shown more particularly in Figs. 8, 9, 11, 14, and 16 to 19. The printing rollers 94 and 95 are similarly constructed and a description of one only will be given. Preferably, the printing roller has a groove I 26 extending across the peripheral surface thereof and a strip of metal I2! is adapted to be bent about the printing roller with the projections I28 on the end of the strip fitting into the slot I20 so that the metal strip cannot slip with respect to the printing roller. more particularly in Figs. 17 and 19, are attached to the strip I21. These pads may be cemented in position or secured to .the strip in any other suit- A series of pads I29, as shown ablenmanner; and arepreferably madeof rubberi When the-strip I21 with the pads thereon is" wrapped about the printing roller, with the. pro-'- jections 'on the end; secured in the slot I26, a pair of end platesl having a peripheral flange I'3I are telescoped over the respective endsofthe roller so that the flange fits over theqedges of they strip or band I21. Thereafter, the printing roller. is placed ,on. the shaft and secured in positionby;

the .nut I32 which holds the plates I30 in;posi;-

tion. 'Asuitable'pin'l34 may be utilized to key,

the.;printing roller to the shaft. v The construction of the transfer rollers. I02 is shown more particularly in ;Figs .2, 8 and 10 of the radial slot I31. inthe roller IUZand-threaded through a slot in the bolt I38. Thereafter, the

bolt is rotated to takeup theslack ,in the strip of fabric extending about the transfer roller and to create any desired tension in thestrip. -.-By:

tightening the nut I39 onthebolt, the bolt may.v

then beheld in its proper position for maintain-.-. ing the tension in the band |36.".

The drive for the printing mechanism, asyvell'. -i as forthe rest .of the machine, is shown more, particularly in Figs. 1, 8, 9, 14, 20 andj,21- and:.is

supported from the ,acid side ofthe printing mechanism by a metal partition I40 to minimize the effect of the acid on these parts. Referring more-particularly. to Fig.9, a motor I5 drives,

through a suitable speed reducing mechanism, a shaft, I which is connected through a clutchi I42 of the conventional type to arsprocket-l44.

The clutch lever I33 may be utilized for stopping machine .without stopping the and starting the motor.

Thesprocket I44 is connected by a chainfl45 to a sprocket I43 on shaft 9|, which serves as av pivot .for the plate member 89 (Fig. 8)., carrying theiprinting roller 95. The shaft.;9I carries the gear 82, which meshes with a gear I46 .(Fig.;20)-

immediately .below it on shaft 93, carrying: the. printing-roller 95. The gear .82-is also connected to drive the other printing roller 94 through gear.

. I41 on shaft 90, which serves as av pivot for the I02, which contact with the printing rollers. .-.The-

plate 88 and gear I41..on shaft 92, which'is keyed.

to the printing roller. {The two printing rollers.

are, therefore, geared together androtate at the same speed. It will be noted also that the driving gears for each printing roller are mountedon the shafts 90 and 9| which are the pivotsgfor the plate members 88 and 89. l-Ience anyadjustw ment of the printing rollers to or from each other.

does not affect the drive or the meshing of the gears in any way because the printingrollersand the gears on their shaftsv arezmoved about-the,

shafts of the drive gears as pivots. Thedistance between the centers of the intermeshing gears doesnot change'as a result of the, adjustments. ,.Each of the gears. 82 andI41 also mesh with gears I49 and I50 on the shafts I00,-..the latter being the pivots for the plate members 99;supr.

porting the transfer rollers I02; Mounted direct, ly below the gearsjI49 andI50 are gears,I 5I and I52 on shafts 'IOI, for driving the transfer-rollers,

transfer rollers, being geared tothe drivinggears,

forthe printing rollers, rotate at thesamespeed, This prevents wear and: 1 also provides a more uniformgfilm of acidri as the printing rollers.

;'I'he-transfer rollers I06 are not driven except-..,by contact with the transfer rollers I02. Therollers I0 6-may be plain metal rollers, preferablyof stainless steel.-

,In order topreventsmearing of the acid being applied tothestrip of metal 1 by reason of play in thegears, theprinting roller shafts 92 and 93 preferably have suitable braking devices I54 and I55 (Fig. 20) which may be adjusted by means of.;bolts I56,:to prevent backlash or other undesired movements tending to mar the printing.

Thesynchronizing mechanism is also driven from the-gear 82 by the intermeshing gear BI on shaft 60.

1 For the purpose of; driving the feed and take-up rollers 3.;and I2, a-chain I51 extends along the entire-length of the machine and passes over suitablesprockets 50 onthe feed mechanism 3 and take-up mechanism I2. This chain is driven bymeans of=the sprocketwheel I43 through the intermediation'ofgears I41, I50 and I52, and sprockettwheel I58. Suitable idling and slack adjusting sprocket wheels I59 and I60 are pro videdto cooperate with the the sprocket wheel I58. The idling sprocket I60 may be adjusted to take yunt slack by means of the bolt I6I in $101: 52.1:

.Tliegmechanismfor causing the ridged roller I,.I.-4,- to contact: with the transfer roller I06 at intervals issh'own more particularly in Figs. 8, 9, 2,0, and 22 to 25.

.mAsillustr-ated in dotted lines on the left side of Flgn8,;.zand .asillustrated in full lines in Fig. 22,

aspring I66pressing a pin I63 against the arm I-I;5;.tends to retain the ridged roller I I4 in its upper position; :that is, in contact with the transfer-roller. I06. The preferred embodiment illustrated herein contemplates moving the ridged roller...downwardlytperiodically in opposition to the-nspring I66. The mechanism for achieving this-result is shown in detail in Figs. 22 and 23. Thesupporting'arms II5 for'the ridged rollers are engagedby apair of arms I68 mounted as thewends of a shaftl69 and extending through slots- 118 .in: the; frame so that only the ends "thereof are exposed'to the acid side of the-mechanismi. The shaft use) is mounted in suitable supporting bearings 110 attached to the frame. Thewarms I68 are normally held in their upper position by'a spring "I. One end of the shaft I69 has-an arm attached to a vertical rod I12 with a member attached to its upper end and slotted at I14 to fit about a shaft I15.. The member I13 has a cam roller I83 secured thereto by a bolt IJ6for engaging a'cam I11. As the shaft I15 rotates, together with cam I11, the cam moves the rod I12 together with arms I 68- and the ridged roller supporting arms 5 downwardly, which moves the rollers II4 out of contact with thetransfer'rollers I06. Asthe dwells I19, here shown 'as three in number, pass the cam roller, the 'spring -IH on the opposite end of the shaft [69 raises the rod I'12'and the arms I68,permitting the spring I66 toraise the ridged rollers I I-4' into contact with the transfer ro-ller I06.

The cama-lll may be rotated in any suitable manner -but, as .here' illustrated, the gear I49,

onshaft .:I00 has a plurality'of projections or I this position while thespring I pulls'the arm I8I down in position to be engaged by another projection I00. The speed of the ratchet wheel I84 may be increased or decreased, as desired, by removing or adding-the projections I80. The ratchet wheel is operatively connected to the cam III to rotate it. The latchesI82 and IB'Iare held in effective position by-means of springs I andI9I.."'

After the strip of material passes through the printing mechanism,'the acid has sufficient time to etch the legend'on the metal before the strip passes over the guide 51 into the reservoir I94 containing the neutralizing solution 6 which may, for example, be lime and water. The strip of material passes under a suitable guide roller I96, as shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 28, which has a channel I91 formed therein toreceive the strip and has its central portion recessed at I98 to; prevent any possible smearing of any acid which may remain on the strip. The

guide 51 at the entrance to the reservoir is likewisechanneled to prevent any contact with the central portion of the strip in order to avoid smearing.

As the strip leaves the neutralizing bath, it passes a blower 8 which is connected to pipes I 99 leading to a suitable source ofcompressed' air where as much as possible of the liquid on the strip is blown .oif. The remainingliquid is dried from the strip while it is passing through a heater 9. The heater 9 is preferably'an electric heater, although any type of drying device may be utilized. From the electric heater, the strip passes into a reservoir 200 containing a supply of oil I0. In passing through the reservoir, the strip passes under a guide 20I which maintains it immersed on the oil for a substantial distance. Upon leaving the oil reservoir, the strip passes a blower or air stripper I I, which removes excess oil therefrom, and then passes through the takeup; mechanism I2 and is delivered to the take-up drum I4 where it is WOlllldllltO a coil. 7

In the operation of the machine, a coil of metal in strip form is placed on the drum 2, and the cam 25 is rotated to expand the drum into secure engagement with the insideof the coil. Thereafter, the wire or string 30 is out or removed and the end of the strip may be threaded through the various mechanisms of the machine. 'The feed rollers 3, being geared to the main drive of the machine through sprockets 50 deliver the strip at the proper speed and maintain a substantial amount of slack, as shown more particularly in Fig. 2, to permit the printing mechanism 5 to operate without having to overcome any resistance to the movement of the strip. The strip enters the printing mechanism through a guide- Way 56 which passes adjacent to the synchronizing mechanism 4. The latter comprises the pulleys or sprockets 59 and 6| having a belt; 64 thereon. The projections 65 on the belt engage the apertures in the strip of the material I and convey the strip along the guideway. By means of the adjusting screws 80, the rotation of the pulley 59 and the movement of the belt 64 may be synchronized with the printing rollers 94 and 95 (Fig. 8) to properly register each blade portion of the strip with a pad on the printing rollers. are properly centered. The synchronizing mechanism and the feed rollers being driven from the In this way, the legends on the blades pull on the strip and minimizing any tendency for the printing rollers to smear the legend.

Acid is transferred to the printing rollers from the acid reservoirs I I8 by means of the transfer rollers I02, I06 and H4. The transfer rollers I02 are driven through gears operatively connected to the gears rotatingthe printing rollers and, hence, rotate at the same speed as the printing rollers. The transfer rollers I06 are not driven except by contact with the transfer rollers I02. The roller II4, partially immersed in the acid, is intermittently operated to contact with the transfer roller I06 at intervals.

- The printing rollers 94 and 95 are pivoted about the shafts 90 and SI of their driving gears. In thisway, the printing rollers may be-adjusted to and from each other without disturbing the driving connection. The transfer rollers I02 are driven in like manner. The operation of the mechanism for driving the printing rollers, the synchronizingfeed and the transfer rollers may be most easily understood from Figs. 9 and 20. The motor I5 is operatively connected through shaft I4I, clutch I42, sprocket I44, chain I45 and sprocket I43 to shaft 9|. Shaft 9| has a gear 82 meshing with the gear of one of the printing rollers and driving the gear of the other printing roller through the intermediate gear I41. The transfer rollers and the synchronizing rollers are also driven by gears operatively connected to the gear 82. I

The mechanism for intermittently raising and lowering the ridged roller H4 is shown more particularly in Figs. 22 to 25. This comprises a-pawl and ratchet mechanism operatively connected to the gear I49 (Fig. 9) for rotating a cam III which lowers the rollers H4 in opposition to spring I66 through the arms I68 and shaft IE9, at intervals.

After leaving the printing mechanism, the strip passes over the guide 51 under the roller I96 immersed in the neutralizing bath and past a blower 8 and heater 9 for removing the neutralizing solution to prevent rust. strip passes through an oil bath I0 and after being subjected toa blower II is passed through the take-up rollers I2 onto the drum I4, where it is wound into a coil. The coil, when completely wound,.may be removed from the drum by-tollap'sing the" arcuate members of the drum by means of the cam 25. Thereafter, the wound coil may be stored or delivered to other machines for additional steps in the manufacture of the blades. I g I It will be seen that the present device provides a simple mechanism for printing legends on a strip of material adapted to be formed into razor blades, for neutralizing the acid used on the strip, and for applying a preservative oil to prevent rust. These operations are accomplished rapidly on a continuously moving strip. The various operations are performed without stopping the strip, thereby increasing the speed of the operations and minimizing the time required for the printing. Improved results are obtained by utilizing a very thin film of acid spread uniformly over the printing rollers and uniformly applied to the strip, without smearing. The thin film, in addition to giving better results, minimizes the amount of acid used and reduces the costi of the printing operation. A minimum number of parts on the machine are exposed to the acid, the'remainder being enclosed to prevent rust. All of: the parts of the machine are accessible' -for repairs or adjustment 5 and, pref- .era'blmtlthe warious .parts associated :with the; printingzme'chanism and exposed on the. acid, side zthereof-care made .of stainless steelor some, other ma'terialr-which is not likely to- IllStp; The

c 51 mechanism-for, conveniently maintainingua con? stant level of the acid aids in obtaining uniform; *Ther'mechanism for accurately csyn-' chronizing the feed rollers with, the printing, mechanism i minimizes any tendency, for, the: K printingxrollers to smear the acid applied to the results.

strip and insures accurate registry .of the; legends onceach of the blade portions of the strip; 1. -While the present device is described'witlrpab ticularireference to the use of acid as the etching 1'5! fluidgthelidevicemay be used with 'otherprinting,

' aetchingfluids and the term"acid,,is' to be understood to include, in a generic'senseyany.

uAs-variouschanges maybe made in'the form,"

construction and :arrangement of parts Without departing'from the spirit-and scope of theLinvention iand without sacrificing its advantages,

itcis'rtoybe understood that all matterherein is tot be interpreted as illustrative and not in-a 2551imiting sense: Having thus described ,my invention, 'Iclaim ,zlii-In a .devicexof' the class described, thezcom binatiOnIbfaguideWay, a pairof-rotatableimembers m'ounted adjacent/said guideway, a belt on? 30 said rotatable members adaptedto' engage a strip oflmaterial and 'conveyit along said-guideway;

' and mean'sfor controlling the length of itheportion of the beltin engagementwith said strip; w :r:2."In aidevice :of the class described, the comgssbinationof a guidewayfora strip of material' adaptedto be for'me'd'into safety razor' blades, a pair-30f rotatable member's; a'b'elt-o'n' saidmem-' 'bersyhaving projections adapted 'toengage-said strip "of..m'aterial, means including a shaft 1 for v 4; driving one of said members, andmea'ns. tor -adjustingtthe angular relation of said driven member with reference to the driving shaft. 1

I 3.v Inia deviceof" the class described; the combination'iof'a guideway for a strip of material adapted to'beformed into safety razor 'bl'a'des, a

rotatablemember having projections thereon adaptedtd engage apertures in said strip'jofmaterial t0 control the longitudinal movement] thereof, a shaft for said rotatable membe -andmeans for-adjusting the angular position of said rotatable member on said shaft, said means comprisinga radial extension on said shaft, and ad-, J'ustablemeans on said rotatable member for ;en-'

, gagingisaid extension;

blades, a pair'of rollers adapted to engage opposite sides of said strip, means-on said rollers for applying a legend to said strip, a rotatable memberhaving projections associated therewith 70 adapted to engage the aperturesof said strip, and

means for operatively connecting said rotatable member and saidpair of rollers to cause the blade po'rtionsof said strip tdregister accurately with thelegend applying portions on said-rollers. i

- 73f In adevice of theclass-described,-the combination ofaprinting-roller for applying acid to a strip of material adapted to be formed intorazor-,bladeaa second roller for applying acid to sa-idprintingroller, a shaft for swingingly mounting saidprintingroller, a shaft for swingingly mounting said second roller, said rollers being driven bill-gears mounted on the axes of their pivots whereby they may be adjusted towardand away; from each other without 'disturbing'theirdriving connection. l

,7; In a device 'of the class described, the combination of a pair of printing rollers adapted to engage the opposite sides ofa strip of material adapted totbeformed into safety razor blades,

gears mounted onthe axes of the rollers, driving gears meshing with said first gears, means for pivotally mounting'said rollers about the axes of said driving gears whereby said rollers may be adjusted toward and away from eachotherwith:

out interfering with the driving connection.

,,8,. ,In'a device of the class described,-the com-' bination of aprinting roller adapted toengage; the surface of a strip of material adapted toebe" formed into-safety razor blades,a gear mounted on the, axis of the roller, a drivinggear meshing with-said first gear, a series of 7 transfer rollers.

adapted to, cooperate with each other and with said printing roller, a gear mounted on axes, commongtothe axes of one: of said transfer rollens, adriving jgear meshing with: said last mentionedgear, means for pivotally ;mounting said, printingroller and said transfer'rollers about the axes ,ofsaid driving gears wherebysaidrollers maybeadjusted about their pivots without interfering with the driving mechanism.-

r 9. In-adevice of; the class described, the combination of a guidewayfor a stripof material adapted to be formed into safety razor blades,-a

painofprinting rollem adapted to engage the opposite: surfaces of said st rip to applya .legend thereto,- transfer rollers adapted to-cooperate with saidiprinting ,rollerscto transfer an acid to said printing rollers, a gear mounted on the, axis of each of said rollers, driving gears meshing with said first'gears, means for :pivotally mounting said rol-lers'about'theaxes of said driving gears,

, whereby said'rollers may be adjusted toward and aways-from each other without interfering with the driving connection.

10.21:! a device of the class described, the combin'ation of a guideway. fora strip of'materia'l adaptedto be: formed into safety razor blades, a pairof printing "rollers adapted to engage the opposite'surfaces of said strip to apply a legend thereto, transfer rollers adaptedto cooperate with said fprinting rollersto-transfer an acid to said pri ting rollers, a'gear mounted on the axis of each. of said rollers, driving gears meshing with said'fi rstgears, means for pivotally. mounting said 'rQIlersQaD utthe axes of said driving gears wherebyi'said rollers may be adjusted toward and away other without interfering with the drivingconnection, a pair of reservoirs for acid,

' anda roller; in each of said acid reservoirs adapted toltransfer-acidfromsaid reservoir to a transfer roller 1l.. In'a device of the class described, the combination" of afeedi'ng mechanism for strip mate rialiadapted' to be formed into safety razor blades, a'tpriritin'g'mechanism for. said strip, an accurate- Iyas'ynhronized feed mechanism for said printing mechanism, atake-up mechanism for delivering said strip tox-a storagexreel, and a common drive "for said feeding mechanism, said syn- 12. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of rollers, means on said roll-- i ers for printing legends on both sides of a strip of material having apertures therein, a belt for feeding the strip of material to said rollers, said belt having spaced projections thereon adapted to register with the apertures in the strip to position the strip with respect to said printing means, a guideway effective upon the edges of the strip for guiding the strip of material to said rollers and. holding said strip in alignment with the projections on said belt, and a second guideway for guiding the strip of material from said rollers after the legends are printed thereon.

13. In a device of the class described, the combination of a frame, a guideway for a strip of material, a rotatable member, a second rotatable member, a belt extending about said rotatable memer for engaging a strip of material in said guideway, a member pivotally mounted on said frame and supporting said second rotatable member at one end thereof, and means at the other end of said pivotally mounted member for changing the position of said pivotally mounted member for regulating the amount of slack in said belt.

14. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of rotatable members, a belt on said rotatable members having sprockets thereon adapted to engage a strip of material, a guideway for holding the stripof material in position to be engaged by said sprockets, said guideway having I a, groove therein to permit said sprocket projections to enter and move along said guideway and an idling pulley for urging said belt toward the groove.

15. In a device of the class described, the combination of a guideway for a strip of material, a

pair of rotatable members, one of said members having its outer periphery closer to said guideway than the other of said members, a belt on said 'members adapted to engage the strip of material and .move it along said guideway, and means intermediate said rotatable members for urging the portion of said belt adjacent to the rotatable member which is closer to said guideway toward said guideway.

16. In a device of the class described, the combination of a guideway for a strip of material having apertures therein, a pair of rollers adapted to engage said strip having means thereon for applying a legend to said strip, a belt adjacent to said strip having projections associated therewith adapted to engage the apertures of said strip, a rotatable member for moving said strip having means for preventing slippage between said belt and said rotatable member, means for operatively connecting said rotatable member and said pair of rollers, and means associated with said connecting means for adjusting the relative position of said belt with respect to the legend applying means on said rollers.

17. In a device of the class described, the combination of a guideway for a strip of material adapted to be formed into safety razor blades, a

Xrotatable member, a belt on said member having means adapted to engage said strip, means in' eluding a shaft for driving said rotatable member, means for adjusting the angular relation of saiddriven member with reference to the driving shaft, and legend applying means operatively connected to said driving means. 1

18. In a device for applying legends to'a metallic strip having preformed apertures therein, said strip being adapted to be formed into safety razor blades the combination of a roller, means on said roller for applying a legend on each of the blade portions of said strip, and means adjacent said strip moving in one direction and having projections adapted to extend into said aper-' tures, said projections being spaced and positioned with respect to said strip so that a plurality of projections simultaneously extend into a corresponding number of apertures to accurately register said blade portions with the legend applying means on said roller.

19;"In a device of the class described, the'combination of a guideway for an apertured strip of material adapted to be formed into safety razor blades, 2. pair of rollers mounted to engage opposite sides of said'strip, a series of pads mounted on the periphery of at least one of said rollersto apply a legend to each blade portion of the strip, a rotatable member having projections adapted to extend into the apertures of said strip-for controlling the longitudinal movement of said strip and feeding it to said rollers, and means for operatively connecting said feeding member to said rollers to cause the blade portions of said strips to register accurately with the pads on said roller.

20; In a device of the class described, the combination of a guideway for a strip of materialadapted to be formed into safety razor blades having preformed apertures therein, a roller having means for applying a legend to the-strip, a

rotating belt member having a plurality of projections thereon adapted to engage the apertures of saidstrip and feed it to said roller, and means for operatively'connecting and adjusting the relative circumferential position of said rotating member and said roller to cause the blade portionsof the strip to register accurately with the,

legendapplying means on said roller.

21. In a device of the class described, the combination of a guideway for an apertured strip of material adapted to be formed into safety razor blades, a roller at one end of said guideway havingmeans for applying a legend to the strip, a rotating member adjacent said guideway having a plurality of projections thereon adapted to engage, the apertures of said strip and feed it to said bination of a guideway for a strip of material having recesses therein and adaptedto be formed into safety razor blades, a pair of rollers adapted to engage opposite sides of said strip, means on said rollers for applying a legend to said strip, a

movable member having projections associated.

therewith adapted to engage the recesses of said strip, and means for operatively connecting said movable member and said pair of rollers to cause the blade portions of said strip to register accurately with the legend applying portions on said rollers.

23. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of printing rollers adapted to engage the opposite sides of a strip of material adapted to be formed into safety razor blades, means adapted tobe driven mounted on'the axes of the rollers, rotatable driving means in drivingconnection with said drive means, means for pivotally mounting said rollers about the axes of said driving means'whereby said rollers may be adjusted toward and away from each other without interfering with the driving connection.

24. In a device of the class described, the combination of a guideway for a strip of material adapted to be formed into safety razor blades, a pair of printing rollers adapted to engage the opposite surfaces of said strip to apply a legend thereto, transfer rollers adapted to cooperate with said printing rollers to transfer an acid to said printing rollers, means adapted to be rotated mounted on the axis of each of said rollers, rotating means in driving connection with said rotated means, means for pivotally mounting said rollers about the axes of said rotating means whereby said rollers may be adjusted toward and away from each other without interfering with the driving connection, a pair of reservoirs for acid, and a roller in each of said acid reservoirs adapted to transfer acid from said reservoir to a transfer roller.

IRVING S. BODKIN. 

